A piacere

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff over a free passage — a cadenza-like run, a vocal flourish over a fermata, an expressive turn — and in force until a tempo, in tempo or a new tempo word restores strict time. It also appears inside other directions, as riten. a piacere or un poco riten. (a piacere).

How Composers Use It

A piacere hands control of time to the performer: the passage may be stretched, hurried or shaped freely. Liszt writes it often over cadenza-like runs and recitative-like interjections. Make the end of the passage clear so an accompanist or ensemble knows when the pulse returns. Unlike ad libitum, which can also mean that something may be added or left out, a piacere concerns only the manner of playing.

Example

Liszt, Ballade No. 2 in B minor, m. 135: “a piacere”, with “cantando” and p, two bars after a “riten.”

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